VICTORIA, Tarlac (January 30, 2026) — The week-long search for the missing son of a slain 38-year-old policewoman ended in tragedy after authorities recovered the body of eight-year-old John Ysmael Mollenido in Barangay Maluid here yesterday afternoon.
An updated police report said that the cause of death for the young boy is “asphyxia by suffocation.” His body was found in a calamansi farm “wrapped in plastic tape.”
The discovery follows the brutal killing of his mother, Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido, whose body was found dumped in Bulacan last Saturday.
The investigation into the double tragedy has shifted focus toward a car agent in Quezon City, identified as a “person of interest.”
Victoria Chief of Police Major Marty Calara reported that the boy’s father, PSMSgt John Mollenido (the victim’s ex-husband), confirmed the identity of the remains found in a remote area of Barangay Maluid here.
On Wednesday night, Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) conducted a luminol test at the residence of a car agent in Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches. The house is believed to be the last place the victims were seen alive.
Preliminary reports indicate that traces of blood were detected in the bathroom, sink, and drainage area of the agent’s house. These samples are currently undergoing DNA testing to confirm if they match the victims’.
According to the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) spokesperson, PLt Margaret Panaga, the events leading to the tragedy began with a vehicle transaction last January 16 when Diane Marie and her son went to the agent’s house in Novaliches to meet a buyer for her vehicle.
On January 17, the car agent claimed Mollenido contacted him, stating she and her son were staying overnight at a friend’s house. Police are currently verifying the veracity of this statement.
Diane Marie’s body was found on January 24 in a creek along the Pulilan-Baliuag Bypass Road in Bulacan with a gunshot wound to the head. Her remains were wrapped in cloth and plastic, showing signs of decomposition.
Authorities are currently reviewing CCTV footage to determine the route taken to transport the remains from Quezon City to the provinces of Bulacan and Tarlac.
While the car agent is currently missing, police are also looking into the involvement of other individuals, including the victim’s ex-husband, as part of standard investigative procedures.
